


Jason Todd: Intro to Sibling Bonding 101

by The_Uninformed_Zennial



Series: Batboys Shenanigans [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Batbrothers (DCU), Batbrothers (DCU) Bonding, Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Bonding, Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Batfamily Dynamics (DCU), Batfamily is a Mess (DCU), Blackmail, Brotherhood, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Bruce Wayne Tries, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne is So Done, Bruce Wayne is tired, Bruce Wayne’s C+ parenting, Canon-Typical Violence, Comfort/Angst, Damian Wayne is Robin, Damian Wayne is a Little Shit, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Family Fluff, Father's Day, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Friendly Kidnapping, Gen, Hugs, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt Tim Drake, Jason Todd Feels, Jason Todd Gets A Hug, Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Bad at Feelings, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd-centric, Kidnapping, Light Angst, M/M, No betas we die like Jason, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Presents, Protective Batfamily (DCU), Protective Damian Wayne, Protective Jason Todd, Road Trips, Running Away, Scared Tim Drake, Speaking of Jason's death..., Swearing, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Tim Drake is Robin, but he tries, minor damijon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28762068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Uninformed_Zennial/pseuds/The_Uninformed_Zennial
Summary: Jason loves his family... really, he does (well, most of them at least)... even though they're complete dumbasses 95% of the time and have no idea how to take care of themselves. Seriously, if they didn't have him watching their backs, they'd all be dead ten times over. Thank God for Jason Todd.Or:Three times Jason kidnapped his brothers out of love and one time they kidnapped him for fun.
Relationships: Alfred Pennyworth & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Bruce Wayne, Cassandra Cain & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Jon Lane Kent/Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: Batboys Shenanigans [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104053
Comments: 42
Kudos: 476





	1. Tim

**Author's Note:**

> The Riddler had him trapped. Of all the rogues.... He honestly should’ve seen it coming, the air duct had been sized just a little too perfectly to be coincidence. Not to mention, the complete lack of booby traps on the way to the main source of radioactive material had been more than a little suspicious. Maybe if he had checked the security systems one last time before going out on his own he wouldn’t be chained to the bottom of a slowly filling water tank, with no way of escape. That is, unless his mentor suddenly and miraculously recovered from his broken leg and torn meniscus. Suffice it to say, he was screwed and would soon be up to his ears in problems, both literally and figuratively.

Tim was lucky Jason happened to be on instagram at 9 o’clock in the morning on a Saturday. Usually he slept in well past noon, but he had just so happened to have a business deal at ten and wanted to get a shower before meeting with the thugs. That was when he noticed that the Riddler had just started a live video. Curiosity won over the need to mind his own business and he clicked on it. He only saw a few seconds of feed before his app booted him off and shut down the live, saying it was banned due to graphic content. Understatement of the year. Robin was in trouble, going to die at the hands of yet another madman. And yet again, Batman was nowhere to be found. Just when Jason thought the asshole couldn’t be any more despicable... Thankfully Jason wasn’t about to let another innocent kid die for the fuckstick’s stupid crusade. 

He hacked into the kid’s tracking system and found a location in record time. He raced to the abandoned warehouse (deja vu anyone?) as fast as he could, but when he arrived, he was too late, the water had already covered the kid’s head. Fuck. 

Thankfully, Tim was smart, Jason would give him that. He had somehow managed to remove two out of four screws that attached the chains on his arms and legs to the floor before finding himself running out of air. Now the boy was sitting at the bottom of the glass container, frantically rushing to undo the third screw. He wouldn’t make it, and he knew it, but there was a determination in his eyes that Jason could admire. Still, determination alone couldn’t save you, Jason knew that better than most.

So, wasting no time, he shot at the glass. It was bulletproof, to no one’s surprise, but Jason knew that with a tight enough grouping he could get the glass to break. So, he continued to shoot, emptying his first magazine, and then his second, into an inch long grouping on the lower right corner of the glass. It was hard to ignore the frightened stare of the young boy wearing the Robin costume, the same costume he had died in, the same mantle he gave his life upholding... God, the kid looked so scared. He wondered if he looked like that before… you know. Whatever, the kid had nothing to worry about. After all, his “big brother” was here to save the day.

In less than fifteen seconds the kid was able to breathe again. Ten seconds after that, the rest of the Riddler’s goons were dead. A minute after Red Hood had entered the scene Robin was free of his chains and kicking a larger hole out of the small one that had emptied the water from the tank. Jason stepped forward.

“Need some help there, Replacement?” he asked, sticking one of the barrels of his guns up against the side of the hole, trying to scrape away some of the glass without injuring his hands.

The kid backed up into the far corner of the container faster than Jason could say crowbar and was shaking way more than any hypothermic patient he had ever seen. That was concerning, to say the least.

“You okay kid?” he continued, turning the voice modulator off his helmet, hoping that might calm him down.

Tim let out a shaky breath, then tried to steal himself against the wall before getting out a shuddered, “S-stay away f-from me!”

Jason took a step back, pulling out his gun and firing yet another round against the bulletproof glass, “Sorry little bird, no can do. It looks like you might have a bad case of pneumonia and no way am I giving you back to daddybats as damaged goods.” 

He punched out a now shattered section of glass out, leaving a big enough hole for Robin to climb through. He motioned for the kid to come out. Tim just stood there and shook his head with an air of nervous defiance. 

“Look, I’ve just about had enough of the Bat and his obsession with child endangerment. Now get your skinny ass out of that container before I climb in there and get you out myself.”

The kid assessed the hole momentarily before steeling himself and looking at the man outside, saying, “You couldn’t get me out of here even if you tried.”

Damn this kid was a smart ass, but (thank God) not nearly as smart of an ass as Jason.

“Wanna bet?”

“Bet.”

Jason hoisted himself up and into the container in one fluid motion that would’ve left the kid cornered, if he hadn’t kicked him right in the face as soon as the opportunity arose. Jason stumbled back, a little, but not enough to lose his balance on the edge of the container. The blow would’ve broken his nose if he hadn’t been wearing his helmet.

“You little shit.” He muttered, making his ascent into the box once more, and yet again, was met by a foot to his face. Thankfully, this time he was prepared for it. He grabbed the kid’s foot in midair, and twisted, spraining it just enough that the boy wouldn’t be able to use it for a couple of weeks. 

“Ow, fuck!” The kid muttered, as he yanked his foot away from the Red Hood’s grasp.

“Language.” Jason chided humorously as he used the kid’s distraction to get himself more fully into the container. Before Robin could get back into fighting stance, Jason grabbed a fistful of his hair, exposed his neck, and jammed a syringe into his carotid. He was out before he even knew what hit him.

\-------

Tim woke up on an uncomfortable cot with his hands tied behind his head and the majority of his uniform (including his mask) gone. Great. He had been kidnapped, restrained, and his identity revealed. Batman was never going to let him patrol again… that is, if he could make it out of this situation alive. He had barely begun to test the restraints when he saw movement from a darkened corner of the room. He froze.

“Morning Timbo.” The figure growled, getting up from his seated position. 

“W-who...” his voice was shakier than he’d like to admit.... as were his hands, come to think of it. Hood might not have been all that off about him having pneumonia. But that could all wait until he was out of danger, and right now, everything about this situation screamed unsafe.

The figure sauntered into the light, shadows barely removing themselves enough to show a small section of white hair in the middle of a dark brown curly mop and almost florescently shining green eyes underneath it all.

“Don’t tell me you forgot about your big brother already,” the figure smiled cruelly, “Timbo.”

Jason Todd, AKA Red Hood. Former Robin. Back from the dead with a deadly vendetta against the bats and anyone who wears/wore their symbol. This was the definition of dangerous situation, and Tim was stuck here with no tools, no Batman, and no backup. He was a goner.

\-------

Jason was dumbfounded. I mean, sure, he expected the kid to be scared, especially considering the fact he had tried to murder him during their first encounter, but this was not scared.... this was terrified. The kid was frantically pulling and yanking on the chains that were attached to his hands, quickly drawing blood from digging into his wrists. He was shouting frantically for help. Thankfully, the bunker he was currently camped out in was underground, so there wouldn’t be any annoying neighbors sticking their noses where they didn’t belong. But still, the sound was grating. So, he might’ve pulled the gun on the kid for a few seconds just to get him to shut the hell up. Which, honestly, looking back, was probably not the best idea, but an effective one nevertheless.

The kid shook violently with each breath, stifling a cough with each forced exhale. It took him a couple of minutes, but eventually Tim calmed down enough to start forming rational thoughts, and Jason was able to reholster the gun.

“I’m not gonna hurt you kid.” he said as the holster clicked into place.

“R-really? ‘C-cause the g-gun kinda says otherwise.” Tim’s breath was shaky at best, inaudible at worst. He really needed medicine ASAP, but that, of course, would require the kid to trust him enough to accept pills, and trust was something Jason was none-to good at developing right now. Still, if he didn’t at least try, there’d be another dead Robin on his hands, and he didn’t think Gotham could survive the fury this kid’s two older brother’s would unleash if their replacement died. Batman’s possible disappointment aside.

“Yeah really. Do you honestly think I could hurt my own little brother?”

He could see the realization flash across the kid’s face. Apparently someone had been sneaking into Bruce’s private logs, which, for once, Jason was grateful for. Of course, he didn’t like his secret identity getting out amongst the superhero community, but if it caused this kid to trust him enough to take care of himself, a little indiscretion would be worth it.

“So it’s true. You really are you?” The kid asked, less of a question, more of a statement.

“I certainly hope so.” Jason shrugged.

Step one: earn trust. Completed. Step two: get this kid to take some meds. 

“Here.” Jason pulled the orange container out of his pocket and rolled it along the floor until it hit the kid’s foot. “Take these.” The boy tenderly reached down and picked it up. “They should help with the pneumonia.”

The kid leveled his best attempt at a bat-glare at his older brother, who had turned back to the monitor in front of him, pretending to be deeply engaged by a new case. And silently ignoring the adorable failure of his little brother’s attempt to intimidate him. Bruce really needed to help his sidekick with the whole “fear” aspect of the job, cause this kid couldn’t scare a butterfly even if he tried.

“You can read the label if you’re worried it’s poisoned.” Jason said after a minute of feeling eyes boring into the back of his head. “But let me just say for the record, there are far easier ways to kill you than poison.” He tapped the safety on one of his guns, a silent warning against any further indiscretion, and delved back into his case. He heard the top of the bottle unscrew a few minutes before he heard the faint sound of snoring escaping from the bed.

...Okay, so maybe he drugged the kid. But he looked like he needed some sleep, and he certainly wasn’t going to get any if he was awake and terrified of what his older brother might do to him. He was just… killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. Besides, he’d make a much better ransom photo now. 

\-------

Tim knew he had been drugged two seconds after he ingested the pills, but that didn’t prevent his body from shutting itself down and pulling him into the dreamless state of unconsciousness. He fought against it with all his might, desperately trying to catch glimpses of the outside world, the trust in his captor practically non-existent, despite the fact he claimed to be his brother and said he was trying to protect him. Tim could still feel the bruises around his neck, (though they had long since dissipated). Where was all this brotherly love at Titans Tower a few months ago? No. It had to be a trap. One that Tim had absent-mindedly walked into. He would’ve banged his head against the wall in frustration if he had enough strength to lift his finger.

Instead, he focused his energy on trying to wake up, catching glimpses of the sound of someone typing away at a computer, or making coffee in a kitchen. At one point, he regained consciousness for a few seconds. Only enough to see the shadow of a man on the phone and hear a snippet of his conversation.

“I don’t care if you’re injured Bruce! If I ever find Robin facing high level rogues without any back up again you aren’t getting him back.”

Unconsciousness won the battle again and he was pulled under once more. Still struggling, this time he felt himself being gently carried by large, rough hands. He heard some distant arguing in the background before once again feeling himself being moved, this time by smaller, more muscularly toned arms, to what felt like the backseat of a car.

By the time he started to really wake up again, he was no longer on a cot or in the backseat of a car, but rather tucked into his bed in the manor, with an awfully concerned mop of black hair dozing on his arm. The pins and needles spreading up from his wrist were starting to hurt, so he jostled it slightly, accidentally waking up it’s occupant. The young man sprang to life, the look of panic quickly fading into joy as he saw his little brother finally awake.

“J-Jay…” Tim started to say, but his mouth was too dry to get the words out.

Dick frantically searched the nightstand for a glass of water and a straw. 

“Hey Timmy,” he said while holding the glass of water and straw up to Tim’s mouth. “How’re you feeling, Bud?”

After taking a sip of water, Tim felt the words form more easily in his mouth. “Where’s Jason?” he asked.

Dick started to calmly explain how Jason had contacted Bruce, letting him know that he had rescued Tim from the Riddler and was nursing him back to health in one of his secret bunkers. Apparently, Jason had refused to let Tim go back into Bruce’s custody and was threatening to report him to CPS if he didn’t start taking care of his Robin’s. Bruce was more than a little upset at this ultimatum, and thus contacted Dick to act as a mediator between the two. Eventually, Dick was able to coax Jason into letting Tim go by promising to stop by the manor more often and forcing Bruce to give Jason permission to keep an eye on Robin during patrols. Finally, Jason met with Dick and Alfred, giving them back Tim’s limp body (which had startled Dick significantly, until he learned that it was simply a side-effect of the drug Jason had given Tim for his pneumonia). Once they got back to the manor Alfred had cautiously instructed Dick to bring the limp boy upstairs to his room, where he had spent the last day and a half sleeping off the rest of the drugs.

Tim simply nodded along to the rhythm of Dick’s storytelling, taking notice of the most essential parts of the monologue, but mostly lost in his own thoughts. Maybe Tim had underestimated the Red Hood afterall. Maybe Jason really did want to be a good older brother. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t definitely going to die at the hands of his predecessor. And maybe, with time, they could heal.


	2. Damian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The demon child (aka Damian) runs away from the Manor after a falling out with Bruce and Dick.
> 
> You get three guesses to figure out who goes to get him, and the first two don't count.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bonus scenes at the end because I had way too much fun writing this dynamic.

The bitter wind whipped the pungent smell of smog and sewage up underneath Damian’s scarf clad nose. He coughed the repugnant fog away and pulled the scarf tighter around his face to ward off any further attacks. Thankfully he would no longer have to deal with the putrid smells and gothic dysphoria of Gotham City. He was leaving, and no one, not even Grayson, could stop him.

Father had recently reached new heights of lividity after discovering that his youngest son had decided to join the Kent’s on a family vacation without telling him first. He forbade Damian from seeing Jon until their two fathers had been able to have a “proper” discussion about the incident. However, Damian felt this was unreasonable considering the many times his brother’s had run off throughout the years to handle far more dangerous issues than a mere family vacation. Yet Father would not back down. Thus, Damian had decided to escape Gotham City.

Normally in such situations he would simply stay with Grayson in Bludhaven, that way he could continue to fight crime as Robin and still be close enough to Gotham to assist in any major events that could arise. However, Grayson had, surprisingly, taken their father’s side on the matter, saying that due to the romantic nature of Damian and Jon’s relationship the matter was more serious than Damian gave it credit, and it was Bruce’s right to step in if he saw it necessary. The betrayal had been devastating and Damian had vowed never to speak to Grayson until he made proper amends. Thus, Bludhaven was not an option.

Damian had briefly considered staying with Todd, but decided he would rather be homeless than sleep in the cluttered, unsanitary, and vermin filled bunkers Todd dared to call “safehouses”. Besides, if Grayson wouldn’t take his side on this matter, chances were Todd wouldn’t either. 

Which is why Damian was standing above a grate billowing sewer drenched fog into the street in front of the over crowded bus station in the middle of downtown Gotham City. The teller, thankfully, called the next customer forward, and Damian confidently stepped up to the desk. 

“A one way ticket to Smallville Kansas please.”

\-------

_Ring._

**_Ring!_ **

**_RING!_ **

When did phones become so demanding? Jason rolled over on the cot he had set up in his most recent safehouse. Running from angry crime bosses really didn’t leave much time to create comfort in one’s living space, so he made due with what he had. A groggy eye forced its way open to glance at the lit screen in front of him. _Dickhead_ with an eggplant emoji bored its way into his undead soul. A weary arm strangled the phone and pressed accept as it reluctantly placed the disturbing object up to his ear. 

“Ever heard of a thing called sleep?” He asked, glancing over at the clock that read 3:00 am.

“Have you seen Damian?” The frantic voice on the other end quipped.

Jason wiped sleep from his eyes, “Is that a trick question? You know the demon brat hates me almost as much as he hates Tim.”

“Fuck.” The word was somewhat muffled by a large pounding sound which immediately gave Jason a headache.

“I thought I was the one who was supposed to swear. What’s wrong with the demon child Goldie?”

“He’s missing.”

Jason squinted as he turned on the lights in his bunker and started to turn his computer system back on. A missing Damian was no surprise, he often went on long trips with the Teen Titans or was kidnapped by some wanna-be crime lord. He knew his way around. But for some reason, Jason knew Dick wasn’t just being his overprotective-mom self.

“...And?”

“And he left a note.”

Jason paused before laughing, “Well, shit. I thought out of all of us he’d be the least likely to run off. What’d he say?”

Dick growled on the other side of the phone, and Jason briefly understood the terror his fellow criminals had felt during Dick’s brief stint under the cowl, “Jay, this is serious. He packed up most of his stuff and removed all of Bruce’s trackers.” Dick paused before softening his voice and reluctantly adding, “...and he isn’t picking up any of my calls.”

Jason whistled, “Fuck. Dickiebird, you really fucked shit up this time didn’t you? What’d you do to piss the little brat off so much?”

Silence.

“I…” the older man started hesitantly, “I may have taken Bruce’s side…”

Jason cut him off, “Say no more. What do you need me to do?”

\-------

Damian stepped out of the suffocatingly warm bus and into the even warmer climate of Smallville Kansas. During the nine hour bus ride he had somehow convinced himself that there was no place on earth more suffocating than that mobile box. Unfortunately, he was immediately proven wrong. Sweat began to drench his Burberry button up as he lugged his suitcase over to the bench. Jon had promised to pick him up as soon as he arrived to take him to an abandoned farm near his grandparent’s house where the two planned on staying until Bruce came to his senses. So, when Damian noticed movement in the shadows near the bench he thought nothing of it. That is, until he felt the cool metal of a gun barrel pressed up against the back of his neck.

“Todd.” He glowered.

“How ya doing demon spawn?” Came the obnoxious reply.

“I am attempting to meet my kryptonian boyfriend, who should be arriving any minute now.” He coyly threatened.

This was met with cruel laughter from the man behind him, “Jon? Yeah, I may or may not have him tied up in the trunk of my car with a shard of kryptonite I stole off Bruce a couple of months ago.” He removed the gun from the back of his brother’s head as he nearly inaudible whispered in his ear, “Come with me quietly and your boyfriend doesn’t get a bullet in the leg.”

Damian turned around and crossed his arms, glaring at his brother, “Tt. You wouldn’t dare hurt Jon for fear of Superman’s wrath.”

“Was that a dare?” He asked, walking closer to the trunk of his vehicle, gun loaded and pointing at the left taillight.

Damian jumped up, “You wouldn’t!”

“Wouldn’t I?”

He had to be bluffing, but on the off chance he wasn’t...

“Fine.” Damian huffed, grabbing his suitcase and walking towards the car, mumbling about the many atrocities of his older brothers.

Jason jumped in the front seat and turned to face his brother, once again pointing his gun at the trunk, “What was that?” Damian glared at him until he lowered his weapon. “That’s what I thought.” He started the car.

As they pulled out of the Smallville bus stop Damian rolled his eyes and looked his older brother up and down, “You’re more insufferable than Drake.”

The older man turned his head and cracked a smile, “Aww, thank you.” before turning up his alternative rock radio station to cover the noise of the wind rushing overhead.

\-------

Two hours into the drive Damian turned down the insufferable noise.

“Who put you up to this?” He demanded.

Todd simply made eye contact with him before turning the radio back up.

“I bet it was Grayson.” He mumbled just underneath the sound of the electric guitar.

\-------

“It was Father, wasn’t it?”

The music blared.

\-------

“It must’ve been Grayson. He’s the only one who’d still talk to you after your most recent encounter with Black Mask.”

“I’m not telling you shit Demon.”

“Tt.”

Silence.

“...I bet it was Father.”

\-------

“Does Father know you kidnapped his best friend’s son to coerce me back?”

“I was told to use whatever means necessary.”

“So it was Grayson!”

“Shut up or I’ll shoot your boyfriend.”

_Huff._

\-------

* _Best attempt at an emotionally suppressed gasp.*_

“Drake!”

“Shut up.”

\-------

“...Gordon?”

“Okay, seriously?”

“You’re right. Definitely Father.”

\-------

Silence.

“... I know it was Grayson.”

More silence.

“Tt. You know I’m right.”

Even more silence.

“...I’m right.”

Even more annoyed silence.

“But…”

“IF YOU DON’T SHUT THE FUCK UP I WILL THROW YOU AND YOUR DUMBASS BOYFRIEND OUT OF THIS MOVING VEHICLE.” Deeeeeeeep breath, “Understood?”

Silence.

“...So it was Father.”

Loud exasperated groans.

\-------

“I’m telling whoever told you to get me that you kidnapped Jon as well.”

“Go right ahead.”

Hmpf.

\-------

After another nine hours trapped in a moving vehicle with the kid who somehow made death sound more enticing than another moment in his company, Jason and his brother arrived at the docks, to be greeted by none other than Dick Grayson and his trusty motorcycle. Damian immediately hopped out of the passenger seat and stormed up to his older brother.

“Grayson!” He bellowed, rage echoing off the concrete walls, “How could you?”

Dick sheepishly grimaced, “Sorry little D, but you know it’s not safe for you out there. Talia’s still on the loose, and the court has been…”

Damian cut him off, still lost in the flurry of his rage, “Todd, of all people!? Do you know what he did to get me here?”

Dick looked curiously over at Jason, who was busy lighting a cigarette and leaning against the hood of the car. “No?”

Damian’s face almost turned red with the force he used to yell at this point, “He kidnapped Jon and threatened to shoot him. Repeatedly!”

Dick hesitantly reached for an escrima stick concealed on his bike, while pulling Damian closer. “Jason?”

He took a puff of his cigarette before opening the trunk. “Come see for yourself.” He said nonchalantly.

Dick and Damian made their way over to the trunk which contained a green LED light as well as a training dummy. No kryptonian in sight. As soon as he could comprehend what had happened, Damian lunged for Jason, hands forming into bloodthirsty claws. Yet before they were able to meet skin, Dick had already latched onto the youngest brother, pinning him in a hold that prevented his arms from moving. He struggled wildly against Dick, who was pulling him ever closer to the motorcycle, while Jason grinned at him.

“You didn’t honestly think I was stupid enough to kidnap Superman’s son, did you?” He laughed, “I may be diagnosed with clinical depression… but I’m not that suicidal.”

Damian turned his head and shouted some unintelligible threat back at Jason while he and Dick sped off towards Bludhaven. A few minutes later his phone dinged with a message from Dick that read, “Thanks.” and another from Venmo that indicated he had been paid $15,000 by Wayne Tech Inc. He took a deep breath of the muggy Gotham air and smiled in the direction of his older brother.

“Anytime Dickie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus:  
> Jason was fast asleep when he heard what sounded like a pan being thrown against his bedroom wall. He startled awake and instantly reached for the loaded gun underneath his pillow, pointing it in the opposite direction of the noise. As his eyes began to adjust to the scene surrounding him, he began to make out the shadow of a figure standing in front of a large vent fan embedded into the wall of his safe house. The small creature wore a tattered yellow cape, knee high green combat boots, and a deathly smile on his masked face. In his hands was a katana.  
> “Hello Todd.” He growled.  
> Jason stood there silently shaking his head for a second before bursting out of the room yelling, “Fuck this shit!”  
> Damian jumped down of the air duct and chased his brother yelling, “Come face your doom, traitor!”  
> \-------
> 
> Bonus Scene #2:  
> Nightwing was laughing until his phone lit up, and he answered.  
> “Dick!” Jason yelled through the phone, “Come get your demon child out of my apartment. NOW!”  
> He held in his breath as he responded, “On my way.” and hung up.  
> However, instead of leaving, he grabbed his pair of binoculars and settled back down in his hiding spot. In a few moments his laughter resumed as he watched Damian chase Jason around his safehouse with a katana. The sound was only broken by the occasional handful of popcorn or click of a camera.  
> He leaned back and sighed, “Brotherly bonding 101.”


	3. Dick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Dick injures himself during patrol, who's there to pick him back up? 
> 
> ...Who do you think, dumbass?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Nightwing,”  
> A scratchy voice came from inside his left ear.  
> “Nightwing, do you copy?”  
> His head was swimming in a pool of something sticky, or maybe gooey? He laid his head back down. There was no more energy left in him. He was helpless, come what may.

Jason was the first to find him, asleep (for the first time in well over a week) and covered from head to toe in mud. The stupid golden boy must’ve taken down Clayface single handedly and then passed out from exhaustion. The stubborn bastard. Goldie had been stretching himself too thin over the last few weeks, helping with an arkham breakout in Gotham before returning to Bludhaven to deal with some human trafficking rings that had been making their way through the casinos. Not to mention the off-world trip he had just returned from with the Titans. And of course, Bruce did nothing. In fact, he continued to pile more and more responsibilities on top of his favorite son’s shoulders, refusing to acknowledge when the kid had too much, and Dick, ever the masochist, would never admit to being in over his head. 

Jason had been silently watching this dynamic play out over the last few weeks, and had admittedly taken their dysfunctional dynamic as a form of twisted entertainment during the various bat family meetings he had either attended in person or hacked into the system to view. Normally, he would let Nightwing catch his zzz’s in the comfort of the stone walls, not caring what enemy he might attract, but there was something about watching his older brother lying face first in the ground, breathing in muddy sewer water that made his stone heart crack. He’d finally had enough of it all.

Whether he did it because he hated Bruce’s guts or he couldn’t stand to see his brother die of hypothermia, he couldn’t tell. But the next thing he knew, he had a shivering vigilante tied up in one of his safe houses and was force feeding him soup.

“J-Jay?” The young man whispered in between spoonfuls of hot liquid.

“Shut up or starve.”

Nightwing nodded his head and gratefully accepted another spoonful, and another, until the bowl was almost empty. 

“Thanks.” he mumbled.

“Did you not hear me the first time dumbass?”

His brother cracked his signature smile. Which, on the one hand, was great because it meant he was feeling better, but on the other hand was terrible because it meant that he was about to get chatty, and Jason was not in the mood to talk. He started absentmindedly looking for something to use as a gag.

“Yeah, I heard you.” The light hearted tone made Jason scowl. Somehow Dick knew Jason wouldn’t hurt him, and that wouldn’t play out well if he wanted to save his street cred. “I just think starving would be less painful than not getting some answers.” If Jason didn’t have his helmet on Dick would’ve seen his eye roll, which honestly, probably would’ve made him proud. “So, why’d you do it?”

The crafty son of a bitch. It was definitely intentionally worded as bait to get him to respond, and seeing as there was no gag nearby he really had no other options. “Do what?” he grumbled unenthusiastically.

“Save me from the sewers?”

“I didn’t save you.”

“Oh,” Dick asked, nodding to the bowl Jason was setting down in the sink, “then why did you feed me?”

Jason scoffed, “Last time I checked, most people don’t tie up the people they save.”

Dick glanced at the chains around his wrists and ankles. “You do have a point…” he paused for a moment, then looked up at his younger brother with a gleam of mischief in his eyes, “So then what do you call this?”

Jason forced his voice to seem menacing, despite the fact he was holding back a smile underneath the faceless expression on his helmet. “A kidnapping. Say cheese.”

Whether it was the flash from the camera or the newfound understanding of his predicament, the photo Jason got of Dick was pure gold. His face was scrunched up in such a manner that not even his masterfully sculpted jawline could correct. Blackmail for the centuries? Yes. But ransom photo? …not so much.

He laughed as Dick shouted, “Hey!” and tried to get up to see the picture his brother was laughing at. “That’s not fair!” He exclaimed, “I wasn’t ready!”

“Oh I know.” Jason said through his laughter, taking off his helmet so he could breathe better. “This is perfect blackmail. Who should I send it to, hm? Tim? Wally? ...Barbara?”

Dick’s face suddenly turned serious, and he pulled against the restraints a little more intensely, “Don’t you dare!”

“I won’t, as long as you behave.” Dick gave him the signature batglare, and Jason laughed again. “Now how about we try again? Be sure to look scared so daddybats will pay up faster.”

Dick scowled playfully, “As if you don’t like having me here.”

“Trust me, if you weren’t acting like such an idiot and getting yourself in way over your head all the time, I would’ve been fine waiting until Christmas to abduct you.”

Dick frowned a little and Jason snapped the pic. It wasn’t near -Tim worthy, but it got the idea across. Besides, a sad Wing was much better than a scared Wing in terms of broken bones you’re likely to incur during the rescue. It would have to do. 

His finger was just about to hit send when he heard his brother call out, “Wait!”

“What?”

“Let me see what you’re sending him.”

“Why?”

“Oh come on, it’s not like I couldn’t steal your phone and delete the message if I wanted to. Just let me see what you’re going to send.”

Jason thought about it for a second and then reluctantly showed Dick his drafted message. A crappy picture of Dick looking mildly sad, with the vaguely disturbing text beneath saying _1 mil for your little bird back in one piece._

Dick laughed hysterically for a little over a minute. While Jason asked “what?” incredulously over and over until he got his breath back.

“Do you know how cliche that is?” Dick gasped before bursting out into another round of laughter. “I mean, c’mon, you’ve been through this rodeo enough times to know that’s bad.” he laughed again, “Like, really, really, bad.” another round of laughter, “...Like Calendar Man could do a better ransom note than you.”

“Fuck you!” He yanked the phone back.

“ _January, February, March and April. You_ _May_ _see your son again if you turn on the cable.”_ Dick recited from a particularly bad ransom note Calendar Man wrote when he had kidnapped some civilians over Easter one year. Suffice it to say, no one was impressed. “God, I thought Talia would’ve taught you better than that Little Wing.” He burst into laughter again.

“Fine Mr. Know-it-all. How would you send a ransom to the Dark Knight?”

Dick’s mischievous smile reappeared, “Well…”

\-------

At around 2 o’clock in the morning, after spending the whole night out in the rain with Red Robin, Batgirl, and Robin, searching for Nightwing, who had disappeared early on in the shift, Bruce Wayne got a text from an unknown number.

He opened his phone to be greeted by a picture of Nightwing in a headstand, next to Red Hood who was flipping off the camera. Beneath the picture were the words, _“Found your golden boy passed out in the sewers.”_

He radioed out to the team. “The search is off. I found Nightwing.”

“Where?” Robin asked, concern seeping into his tone.

“He’s with Red Hood.”

“What?!” Both Tim and Barbara shouted through the comms.

“We’ll discuss more at the cave. Batman out.”

Just as he turned off his comms another message came through. “ _Oh, and I’ll need 750 grand if you want him back. Otherwise, I think I’ll just keep him.”_ Another picture came in, this one showed Dick and Jason curled up on a couch with popcorn and a t.v. remote. Jason appeared to be in the middle of ruffling up Dick’s hair, which the latter was mostly powerless to stop due to his bound hands.

Bruce stifled a smile. At least Dick and Jason were getting some time to bond. That was when the next picture came in. This one showed Dick with a bloody nose, and Jason covered in popcorn. “ _Unless he continues having terrible taste in movies, in which case he might not make it to the drop off. I’d hurry if I were you.”_ This followed by the red devil, gun, explosion, and bird emojis in that order. 

Batman sighed as he plugged the pictures into the batcave database. He’d send Damian and Tim with the money to pick Dick up from Jason’s place later tomorrow. He usually would’ve just gone and broken him out that night, but he knew that as long as Dick was with Jason he wouldn’t have to worry about any Red Hood business, and honestly, he was glad to pay if it meant he got the day off. With that he jumped into the batmobile and sped off to the cave.

\-------

Just before he went to sleep Bruce got another text, this time from Dick, “ _Don’t worry B, I’ve got it all under control.”_ It was accompanied by a picture of Jason sleeping peacefully on the sofa, with a permanent marker mustache and handcuffs on his wrists while Dick smiled gleefully and gave the camera a thumbs up.

Bruce rolled over and allowed himself a soft smile as sleep finally overtook his senses.


	4. Jason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason's shithead brothers decide to kidnap him for revenge... and father's day... but mostly revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: The first section of this chapter deals with Jason having a panic attack about his time with the Joker. If that will hurt your mental health, please skip below the first section and read the story from there on. Stay safe my friends!

He woke up tied to a chair in a dark empty room. He could feel his heartbeat racing and could hear the echoes of maniacal laughter in the halls outside. A gag was in his mouth and his hands were tied to the arms of the chair. He wanted to yell, to scream, to feel the handle of his guns. To hold them firm in his grim and blast his way out of whatever hell hole he’d been dragged into. He tested his moveability and found that his legs felt heavier than they would with two empty holsters. He glanced down in the darkness. He still had them. Whatever idiot kidnapped him left him his guns. Something was off. 

Just then, light burst into the room through what he assumed to be a widening crack in the door behind him. He squirmed in the chair, trying to get a better view of his kidnapper. He didn’t have to squirm for long, because soon enough, the grinning idiot was standing in front of him, the smuggest look gracing his supermodel face.

“This is what I like to call payback.” He laughed as he took a photo of Jason, who no doubt looked worse than Dick had in the photo Jason may or may not have sent to Barbara with a sappy get-back together message when he woke up with a marker mustache a la his dickhead of a brother(see last chapter). The whole fiasco may have ended up causing some extra drama in the two’s already unsteady relationship. Which definitely gave Jason unabashed pleasure that he loved to relish in whenever his older brother was around. However, now that he was on the receiving end of the man’s revenge, he began to regret his decision to print out screenshots of their personal conversations and paste them all over the manor. (But still, seeing the look on Alfred’s face when he caught sight of a particularly strongly worded exchange between the two lovebirds was priceless. As was the conversation he had with Dick afterwards.)

The flash from the camera temporarily blinded him and Jason, being defenseless to fight back, simply glared at Dick with an intensity that would rival that of the Bat’s. But Dick was too big a dick to care. He maliciously paced back and forth in front of Jason. 

“I wonder what Kory and Roy will think of this?” 

_ Seriously? _ Jason wondered,  _ Could he be any more obvious? _

But then his brother cackled out his mischievous laugh. A laugh that sounded eerily sinister… and familiar…

Adrenaline spiked and Jason closed his eyes to try to refocus, but when he opened them, the scene had changed. Suddenly, Jason wasn’t tied up in a dark room in the manor with his older brother. He was in an old dusty warehouse in the middle east with the Joker… and a crowbar. 

_ Backhand? Or forehand? _

The words etched themselves into his brain. Every single hit, punch, and bruise, embedding itself further and further into his skin, absorbing into his muscles and bones. The only thing keeping him alive was the thought of freedom. When the clown left, he thought he had a shot. But then he heard it, the tick, tick, tick of the timer. Then the explosion. Feeling the heat hit his bruised and broken skin. Flying through the air with no control over where he landed. Choking on blood and ash with his last breath.

He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. He was like a fish out of water. Something was preventing him from bringing air in through his mouth and he was choking. His coughs and gasps meaning nothing in the darkness that threatened to envelop him again. Not again. NOT AGAIN! He had so much to live for this time... Kory and Roy and his brothers, besides, he still hadn’t been able to get revenge on the bat for not avenging his death the first time around. He couldn’t die yet. He wouldn’t let himself. Not again. He tried to reach his face, tried to get the thing out of his mouth, but he couldn’t move. His arms were tied to something. He pulled and pulled until he could feel the blood start to trickle down his arms, but they wouldn’t budge. He tried to scream, but nothing came out. He was dying. Again.

The next thing he knew, his big brother was in front of him, removing whatever was in his mouth, reaching out to touch his shoulder. It took him a minute to register that he was telling him to breathe.  _ No shit dumbass. _ And trying to lead him on a breathing exercise. All Jason wanted to do was puke, but considering the fact that he currently couldn’t leave the upright position in which he was tied, he decided breathing was the better option.

As he was getting his heart rate back under control, he heard the door open once again. Small footsteps and the pungent smell of coffee. Tim.

“What the hell happened?” 

Dick looked at Jason once more, as if to ensure he would be alright. He simply glared in response, and Dick gave a shy smile before standing up to talk to Tim.

“I didn’t know that would happen. I was just trying to get some payback for the Barbara incident.” (He was referring to the fact that Barbara had refused to talk to or speak with Dick for at least a month after Jason had sent her the pic from Dick’s phone… as well as all the other crap Jason had pulled in the weeks following their falling out.) “I didn’t realize…”

Tim simply huffed and stepped over to touch Jason’s shoulder, “It’s okay Jay. We aren’t going to hurt you.”

Dick went around the other side and did the same thing, “I’m so, so sorry Little Wing. I never would’ve…”

Jason had had just about enough of all these feelings and shit. So what if he had a flashback? Big deal. They happened all the time. He didn’t need mothering, he needed answers. “What do you assholes want?” he gasped, brushing both of their hands off his shoulders with one quick movement.

Dick was a bit caught off guard, so Tim spoke up first, “We decided to kidnap you for fathers day.”

Silence, then suddenly...

“For what now?” he asked, anger seeping into his voice. He did not want to see Bruce. Not for father’s day. Not ever again. Especially not after he found out that he had RESUSCITATED THE JOKER  AFTER Dick had already killed him. (Yeah, Jason had been able to coax that information out of Dick after beating him senseless during their last run-in on the streets. It was fun, they punched each other, yelled a bit, cried a bit, and then Jason dropped him off at the hospital feeling like a complete piece of shit because he had wrongly assumed his brother didn’t care about him. Fun times.)

“It was Damian’s idea, actually…” Tim began to explain, but his words drifted off. Jason’s head filled instead with frantic thoughts of escape. He couldn’t see Bruce again. He wouldn’t. He just needed to find a way to get out of here. He had plans set in motion to retaliate against Bruce, and seeing him before they happened would be... shitty, to put it mildly. He had to find a way to escape. Thankfully, his captors were his brothers, so they had gone easy with him on the restraints, but on the other hand, they were his brothers, so he really didn’t want to fight them for his freedom. Maybe he could wait until they left and then he could… 

Suddenly, he felt a prick on the back of his neck and the world began to soften.

Before he lost consciousness, he heard Dick shout, “What did you do that for?”

“Tt,” was the response, “couldn’t you see…”

Then darkness.

\--------

When Jason woke up again there was no gag, thank God. However, there was a katana against his back and a demon child at his right. 

“Make a sound and I will not hesitate to cut off your fingers.” the tiny assassin whispered to his older brother in the darkness.

Jason just gave the kid an incredulous look, preparing a witty retort, before remembering the concussion he got the last time he pissed the demon child off and deciding to just roll with it. His brothers could deal with the inevitable consequences of their actions on their own. The only person this could hurt would be Bruce. If that was the gift they wanted to give him for father’s day, then so be it. 

Jason moved ever so slightly in the chair he was situated in. This one had wheels and no arms, so he was tied a bit differently this time. His arms were pinned to his sides and his wrists put in cuffs behind his back so that he couldn’t reach his guns, which were still in their holsters. Jason looked at them and then back at his little ninja guard questioningly.

“They’re empty, despite Drake and Grayson’s many protests. They insisted the items were required to ‘complete the look’. I, however, will not have you threatening to shoot someone I care about…again.” he glared, making Jason remember the hour long fight the two had in his apartment after he forcefully dragged the kid’s ass back to Gotham (see chapter 2). Dick eventually broke it up, but they both ended up having quite a few more bruises than they had started with. The demon had grumbled about not getting enough revenge while being dragged off by the acrobat and Jason couldn’t help but wonder if Damian had insisted on being his guard so he could have an excuse to get more. God, he had really done a lot to piss off his brothers over the last year. 

At least he could count on Tim to make sure the other two didn’t take it too far. He may have rigged the bat computer to display “I Love Connor Kent” across all linked screens whenever Tim logged on (as an April fools day prank), but that was it, and the two had long since moved on. Yep. Tim was his only real ally in this shit show, which, honestly, just went to show how far he had truly fallen. He was doomed.

Thankfully, Dick slipped into the small, cramped space they were currently situated in before the demon brat had the chance to get more revenge for his older brother’s ill-planned ruse. The acrobat shuffled his way closer to the assassin, shooting an apologetic look at Jason for the laughter induced panic attack earlier. The outlaw stuck his tongue out in response. Which made the older brother nearly burst out laughing, and brought Damian’s katana dangerously close to Jason’s exposed fingers. Thankfully, Dick noticed the threat and gently guided Damian’s hand away from the sensitive fingers. 

“Hey, Little D,” the brother gently cooed at the gremlin, “it’s okay. Jay isn’t going to give our position away because he doesn’t want to ruin the surprise.” He glanced over at the scowling figure next to them, “Right?”

Jason huffed and raised his middle finger in rebellious compliance.

Dick rolled his eyes and said, “See, Damian, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Damian judgmentally looked Jason up and down before returning his eyes to his favorite brother, “Tt. I wouldn’t say that just yet Grayson. Or have you forgotten that Father is the Batman, the World’s Greatest Detective, the Dark Knight of Gotham? Surely he will find us out if our plan does not go perfectly.”

Dick chuckled lightly, Jason could tell he was making an effort to change the way his laugh sounded in order to not set his other brother off again. “I think you might be overestimating Bruce’s ability to remember what day it is.”

“And I think you might be underestimating Todd and Drake’s ability to follow simple instructions.” the demon grumbled under his breath and Dick ruffled his hair and slinked over to Jason’s left side. Tim came in soon after with a tablet in his hand and a grin on his face.

“Showtime!”

\-------

Bruce was welcomed home by an empty batcave. Strange. He didn’t know when the last time he had entered his lair to be greeted by nothing but the screeching of angry bats was. Probably sometime after Jason died and Dick left. He shuddered to think of such times. There had been many years where Bruce fell into his work as Batman to shove away all the unpleasant thoughts and feelings surrounding his numerous failures as a father, but thankfully, those days were long past. 

Now Bruce had a home where his kids felt safe to be themselves (most of them at least). Now Bruce was working on changing his destructive behaviors to try and be there for his kids. Every day was a battle against the cold, dark aspects of his personality that tried to shove his children away to protect them. It was exhausting, but well worth it. He was grateful for the change because it meant Damian came to him for comfort when he had a bad dream. It meant Cass would smile at him when he made a dad joke (which his oldest was slowly but surely teaching him the art of). It meant Tim didn’t push himself to the breaking point for approval he already had. It meant Dick didn’t flinch as often when he raised his voice and hand in tandem. And hopefully, someday, it would mean Jason could come home.

But right now, the cave was empty. Completely devoid of life, save Batman and the small farm Damian had accumulated in the upper levels of the dark abyss. Quite unusual considering the sheer amount of people who used the cave as a base of operations for crime fighting and video gaming adventures. Was it somebody’s birthday? He pulled up the calendar on the batcomputer. Today was Sunday, June 20th… Father’s day. 

Oh no.

Just as Bruce began to realize what that latest revelation could possibly entail, he heard shuffling from the corner of the batcave. He quickly flipped the cowl back on over his head and soundlessly drifted to the corner in question. That was when he saw it. Nightwing, Robin, and Red Robin escorting a tied up and visibly disgruntled Red Hood towards their mentor.

Robin flipped off the prisoner’s back, after sheathing the katana that had formerly been lying across the man’s neck, and rolled into a perfect dismount at his father’s feet.

“Father!” He exclaimed, bowing slightly in recognition, before stepping back to present their prize, “We have captured Todd for you.”

Nightwing beamed in pride as he pushed Red Hood forward. “Happy Father’s Day, Pops.”

Red Hood no doubt shot daggers at Nightwing through his eyes, before growling through the vocal distortion in his mask, “Assholes! You’re gonna regret this.” 

Red Robin, who had previously been too preoccupied with the tablet in front of him to acknowledge the existence of anything else in his vicinity, got a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he lifted them to meet his brother’s. “No, Jason, you’re the one who’s gonna regret it.”

At the same timeRed Robin spouted his dramatic retort, Red Hood pulled against the ropes that had been holding his arms down, which immediately slackened. While he arched his back forward, in the move his chest plate released a taser of sorts out into the air. Lighting shot forward in terrifying arcs of brightness, and Bruce immediately tucked Damian under his cloak for cover, before looking back at his second oldest son. 

Through the haze he saw, “I love you Dad.” written out in the lighting. When the flashing ceased Bruce scowled over at Tim, who was grinning wildly next to Dick, who was incapacitated by laughter, both of which had lost their masks at some point during the explosion. However, before he was able to scold his two oldest sons, the newly freed Red Hood got up and began to barrel towards them, shouting, “You’re gonna die, Replacement!”

Everyone stood frozen in various stages of fear, shock, awe and laughter while Red Hood jumped in the air. However, before he was able to do anything, he was caught by a grappling hook in midair. He face-planted on the ground. The attacker gave him no opportunity to twist around and cut the line by firing a net over the yelling figure immediately after the grappling hook. The four men turned to look at the intruder. There, standing in all her silently deadly glory, was Cassandra Cain, holding a grappling gun and a net launcher. 

Bruce smiled as soon as he saw her, “Cass.”

“Hello. Is Red Hood okay?” She asked softly, stepping closer to her brother who was still wriggling on the ground, and cursing under his breath. 

Tim seemed to have regained his sanity and laughed lightly, “Yeah Cass, sorry about that. The taser was rigged to fire the charge outward, not inward, so he should be fine. Thanks for having my back.” He turned to look at Dick, who was slowly getting up from his crouched position on the floor, “Unlike some people.” he glared at the recovering older brother.

“What?” Dick replied innocently, “It’s not my fault your prank was hilarious!” 

Jason finally got his bearings underneath the net and huffed a few times, realizing escape was improbable at best. Cassandra stepped closer to him, and motioned for him to take off his helmet, which he begrudgingly did out of love for his little sister. She tilted her head in concern, before turning to Bruce.

“He is not.” She stated simply, making Bruce rush forward, causing the cape to come along with him. This revealed a wide-eyed Damian standing underneath the now deserted spot with scruffy hair and no mask. Bruce crouched next to Cassandra on the net, taking in his second oldest son. There weren’t any obviously fresh bruises, or broken bones. His skin was just as vivid as ever and he was still breathing, but it was fast and shallow. 

“Jason.” He said, motioning for Cassandra to get off the net, while he, too, made for the sides. “Jason, look at me.” The frantic eyes searched around the room, looking everywhere except at his mentor. Bruce and Cassandra worked on releasing the net, while Dick caught on and rushed forward.

“Hey,” the older boy cooed, “Jay, it’s okay. You’re safe. You’re with family.”

It didn’t work. Jason’s heart rate climbed steadily higher and the stupid net wouldn’t budge. In an act of pure desperation, Bruce pulled out a batarang and sliced the rope in two, making a hole big enough for his son to climb out of. But instead of letting him climb out, Bruce rushed forward, wrapping his son in an all encompassing hug. Jason didn’t fight, he didn’t even squirm, he just froze as the man gripped him tightly. He and Bruce sat there for a few minutes, oblivious to everyone else in the room. 

They didn’t see Damian hesitantly make his way over to Tim and ask what was going on. They didn’t hear Tim explain what a panic attack was or why Jason might be having one. They didn’t watch as Cass got off the net and slunk up the stairs to the kitchen. They didn’t feel Dick give them both a gentle pat on the back and usher his brothers out of the cave. They simply sat on the floor, breathing in the other’s familiar smell. 

When it was clear everyone was gone, Bruce spoke, “I’m sorry…” He took a deep breath before starting again, “I-I should’ve been there for you when you needed me. I should’ve been the one who found you when you woke up. I should’ve been the one to help you after the pit. I should’ve shown you that you were more important to me than anything else in the world… I should’ve… I...” His voice trailed off.

There were a few minutes of silence and then Jason spoke, “There’s a bomb.”

Bruce pulled back from the hug slightly, and Jason curled in on himself. “Where?”

Jason looked up from the floor, “In Wayne Tower.”

“How do you know that?” he interrogated.

“Because…” He paused momentarily before taking a deep breath and continuing, slightly ashamed and slightly angry, “... because I put it there.” Bruce fully pulled Jason out of the hug and stared deep into his pit-tainted green eyes, “I was pissed, okay? Goldie told me about how he killed the Joker. It was sometime last week, when me and my goons were beating him senseless for stopping a drug deal we were doing. When he told me about how you resuscitated that bastard, I kinda lost it. So, I planted a bomb in your office at Wayne Tower and rigged it to go off on Father’s Day. It’s not large enough to damage the building or anyone outside your office. ...but you should say goodbye to all the furniture and paperwork you store there.”

Bruce stood up abruptly and slunk over to the batcomputer, typing away furiously at something, leaving Jason alone in the tangle of rope he had been freed from. He shook slightly in the new cold that had enveloped him in Bruce’s abandonment, and looked longingly at the garage area of the cave, thinking maybe he should just steal a batmobile and escape. But just as he was about to make his move, Bruce came back over.

“Jason.” He bellowed.

Jason couldn’t meet his eyes.

Bruce took the cowl off and crouched next to his son, tipping his head in his direction. The young man closed his eyes so that he wouldn’t have to see his father figure’s disappointment in him. 

“Jason.” He said once again, softer this time, and Jason hesitantly opened his eyes, “Thank you for telling me.” Confusion washed over his son in waves, “If you hadn’t let me know about the bomb when you did, my secretary could’ve been caught in the blast. Thanks to you, she gets to go home to her family tonight.”

The boy’s confused eyes met Bruce’s, “...but why are you thanking me? I’m the reason she was in danger in the first place.”

Bruce wrapped his arms around his son once more, “How can I expect you to forgive me for my past indiscretions if I can’t forgive you for yours? What’s passed is past. Now is all that matters. And right now, your actions just saved the life of a valuable member of my company, so I’m thanking you.”

Jason thought Bruce had surely lost his mind, but he hugged his mentor back anyway. “You’re welcome… I guess?”

Bruce let out a light laugh, which was also a little off-putting. He ruffled Jason’s already messy hair before standing up and giving his son a hand to do the same, “Now, shall we go see the mess your brothers and sister have surely made in the kitchen?”

Jason’s face lit up mischievously, “Yeah,” he said, as he checked his holsters for the guns that were still there, “I think I have a bit of a mess to make myself.”

Bruce chuckled and released his son from the hug, “Great, let them know I’ll be up in a few minutes.” He turned back towards the batcomputer as Jason headed towards the stairs, “Oh, and Jason?”

“Yeah?” The boy paused in his reach for the weapon on his side.

“Don’t shoot your brother.”

Jason’s wicked smile showed through, “Which one?”

“Any.”

“No fair!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter (especially the part with Jason’s suit being rigged) was heavily inspired by some fanart I saw on pinterest a while back. If anyone knows what I’m talking about, please link it in the comments because I’m not sure I can find it again! 
> 
> Also, I headcanon that Dick’s mischievous laugh sounds a lot like the Joker’s... so yeah.
> 
> I’m glad you guys enjoyed this book (it feels weird to call it that since there’s only four chapters). It’s the first multi chapter work I’ve ever completed and published (both of the fanfic and regular variety) so I’m really proud of it. I had no beta (as always) and no one to push me to get it finished besides all of you guys who decided to bookmark and comment. Thank you guys for your support and encouragement. Ya’ll are awesome! For those of you who follow my other works, I promise I’ll have the last two chapters of Dick’s Apartment up before the end of January. See you guys next update!  
> -U.Z.
> 
> Update: Two amazing people in the comments below helped me find the art, here's the link;
> 
> https://www.google.com/amp/s/jjmk-jjmk.tumblr.com/post/174977715312/bat-happy-fathers-day-fan-art/amp
> 
> Go check it out, and please give the artist all my love! (Also thanks Kaya and JaynotWayne for your help!)


End file.
